ON PRO BASKETBALL; Ewing Has Himself To Blame for Snub

On a slow news night Tuesday at Madison Square Garden -- Mavericks lose! Mavericks lose! -- Pat Riley took it upon himself to write the lead for every news reporter worth his or her laptop computer. It is inconceivable and unconscionable, the Knicks' coach declared, that Patrick Ewing could be beaten out for the starting Eastern Conference All-Star team by Shaquille O'Neal, a mere 7-foot-1-inch, 303-pound rookie.

"I can't worry about that stuff," said Ewing.

As an extension of the All-Star slight, Riley added that it was a travesty of a mockery of a sham of hardwood justice that Ewing was never seriously mentioned as a candidate for the league's most valuable player. This second point happens to make more sense -- if only at this stage of a promising Knicks season -- than the first one.

"I don't worry about it," said Ewing.

His only concern, he added, is "to win a championship."

If there is any All-Star mystery here, Ewing solved it himself. There is a price to pay for never worrying -- publicly, at least -- about "that stuff," about "it," about any question that might elicit some evocative response. And not only has Ewing yet to win a championship, he hasn't been on a team that has been out of the second round of the playoffs.

That may not be his fault, but when it comes to winning a fans' popularity contest, it should surprise no one that they jumped off Ewing's bland bandwagon the minute a younger, hipper, backboard-destroying player came along, with better stats to boot. There is no harm in Riley wanting to stroke his man's ego, but the coach's insistence that it is an insult that a rookie, any rookie, be extended the honor bestowed on Ewing for the three seasons prior to this one is not legitimate.

As the incumbent All-Star starter and the conference's acknowledged best center, Ewing, Riley said, deserved better from the same fans who had no problem punching out the name of Isiah Thomas, who, at this point, probably isn't even among the conference's top 10 guards. But Thomas was voted in out of respect for his record, which, of course, includes two championships and a voice on almost every topical league issue in the last 10 years. Ewing is a star. Thomas is a star who became a celebrity.T

From a marketing point of view, Ewing has been John Thompson's Frankenstein monster. It is difficult to recall a star athlete in New York about whom less is known, and those who came before Ewing certainly performed in less intrusive times. Even the National Basketball Association's formidable propaganda machine has been unable to penetrate the Ewing wall.

He can sure shoot. He always plays hard. Any other questions should be directed to the Knicks' public-relations department.

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From the beginning, the young Ewing laid his Georgetown ground rules. Reporters who traveled with the Knicks (in those ancient days before private team jets) were stunned by the Ewing response to a simple, friendly greeting at an airport gate.

"No interviews," he would say. Politely, of course.

Those who have gotten to know Ewing -- like many of his Knick teammates and even Larry Bird, during the Olympics last summer -- say the rest of us would be surprised how much thoughtfulness, humor and charm there is behind the mask. Ewing doesn't have to share it. Fans don't have to vote for him, either, even if he is the more deserving player.

It's too easy to explain Ewing's reticence at this point by saying he is a product of his protective Georgetown environment. The pros learn from one another. When Charlotte's Larry Johnson said he wouldn't do pre-game interviews last season, a longstanding Ewing practice, the Hornets' front office sat him down and showed him tapes of Michael Jordan charming reporters as he dressed for a game.

"If it's O.K. for Michael, then it's O.K. for me," said Johnson.

Riley, who will coach the Eastern Conference team Sunday in Salt Lake City, said he would give the fans what they voted for, no matter what he thinks. Not only does he have his man's pride to consider, but there is also a third center, Cleveland's Brad Daugherty, who happens to be the leading percentage shooter in the N.B.A., and probably the best pure passing and thinking man's center around.

Daugherty, like Ewing, is quiet, by nature. He doesn't shatter backboards and he works in Cleveland. He can forget about ever being an All-Star starter. Even on a slow night, that's not news, just life.

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A version of this article appears in print on February 18, 1993, on Page B00015 of the National edition with the headline: ON PRO BASKETBALL; Ewing Has Himself To Blame for Snub. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe